Plucked
A tale of a child bargaining with death…
Mother is dying.
Mother is dying because she used to work in the electricity company. I don’t know what that means. But that is what Father told me. She coughs all the time, and blood comes out of her mouth. She looks tired and thin, thinner than even me.
Father is a carpenter. He is always working, and comes home only at night. He lets me take care of Mother. And tells me I am the “man of the house now”. I don’t know what that means either.
I am not very good at taking care of Mother because I am only six years old. But I know how to clean her mouth, give her water and wash her face. Radha Aunty and her daughter, Pavi, come home everyday. She makes lunch for us while Pavi and I play outside. We can’t play inside because Mother is sick, and Chikku might wake up. Chikku is my baby sister. She is either always sleeping or always crying.
Pavi tells me that I can make wishes with my eyelashes. She says that if I ever get one on my cheek, I can blow it away and make a wish. I didn’t believe Pavi at first, but then she told me she wanted pretty new slippers last month. And no matter how much she begged and cried, her parents didn’t listen. Finally, she made an eyelash wish, and two days later, Radha Aunty bought her pretty new slippers.
So, I look in the mirror daily for an eyelash, but I don’t see any on my cheek.
Mother is getting sicker now. Whenever I give her water or wash her face, she looks at me and cries. I feel like crying when she does this, but I never do. Her cough has worsened.
I pluck out my eyelashes now and make wishes. I don’t tell Pavi this because she might say it won’t work. I wish that Mother is not dying anymore. If Mother gets better, I can play with Pavi all day. Also, I like Mother’s cooking better than Radha Aunty’s.
I continue plucking them out every day. My eyes are becoming red and watery. They burn at times. I tried plucking out Chikku’s eyelash once, but she started crying. I didn’t try that again.
In the evenings, I look out the window and see smoke coming out of the electricity company. Mother used to tell me that the electricity company helps make light in faraway places. We never have light in our house. I think it is because we are nearby.
Father is always quiet. He comes home very late and takes care of Mother. He looks almost as tired as her.
Doctor comes home once a month. Father grows quieter every time Doctor comes home. I don’t like Doctor very much.
I continue plucking out my eyelashes. My eyes water and burn all the time now.
Many people came home today. Radha Aunty was crying, and so were some other people. Chikku was also crying with them. Radha Aunty told Pavi to hug me. Father hugged me and Chikku, as well. His eyes were watering. Maybe he has also been plucking his eyelashes.
They took Mother away and put her in the ground.
The house has become very silent now. I don’t hear coughs anymore. I miss the coughs.
A month has passed by. I will be going back to school tomorrow. Father has more money now for my education, he says. I don’t want to go. I wish he had less money. Then I can play with Pavi all day.
I look out the window. Smoke still comes out of the electricity company. It’s getting dark now.
Mother is dead, but the eyelashes are growing back.
